Cincinnati traded Bill Bergey to Philadelphia for two first-round draft choices and a third-round pick in 1977. Jim LeClair replaced Bergey at middle linebacker. Ken Anderson won the NFL passing championship and completed a club-record 64.9 percent of his attempts. Cornerback Lemar Parrish led the NFL in punt returns.

The only Bengals player ever to score two touchdowns in a game on returns and/or recoveries is Lemar Parrish, who accomplished the feat three times. Parrish, a Bengals cornerback and kick returner from 1970-77, returned a punt 90 yards for one score and picked up a fumble and returned it 47 yards to the house on Oct. 6, 1974 vs. Washington.